Labeling-machine.



F. 0. WOODLAND, DECD.

r. s. WOODLAND 4L A. r. KELLEY. AnMlNlsTRAToRs.

LABELING MACHINE* APPLICATION man AuG.26. m5.

m: Noums Ferns ca., Naro-uma.. wAsumcm Patented 00A. 24,1916.

.granted Letters rr as rarita c.

FRANK O. WOODLAND, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS; FRANCES S. WOODLAND AND ARTHUR F. KELLEY, ADMINISTRATORS OF SAID FRANK O. WOODLAND, DECEASED,

ASSIGNORS TO ECONOMIC MACHINERY COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, vlVIaSVSACI-IUSETTS,

A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

LABELINGr-MACHINE.

Leoaaee.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led August 26, 1915. p Serial 1\To.` 47,460.

To all whom z'z may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK O. WOODLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Labeling-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a novel construction and mode of operation for the pickers of continuously-operating labeling machines for labeling bottles or the like; the object being to provide means for the lateral spreading of the pickers, in addition to their retractive movement, to facilitate the easy stripping of the labels from the glue-coated surfaces of the pickers and their ready transfer to the bottle or article, without liability of tearing or injuring the labels, and adapted for use in machines operating at high speed; thereby rendering the mechanism more efficient and permitting the use of glue or gum of a stronger quality, or greater viscosity, than might otherwise be practicable.

To this end my present invention consists ina picker mechanism embodying the features and mode of operation set forth in the following detailed description, and illustrated in drawings annexed; the particular subject matter claimed being hereinafter definitely specified.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a front view of a mechanism embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a front view showing the pickers in spread relation. Fig. 11 is a horizontal plan view of the pickers and label-supply holder, and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view of the actuator Vslide and roll drawn to, somewhat larger scale.

- This invention can be applied to labeling especially designed for application to that class of machines described in my prior Patent Number 1,118,854, which discloses the general character and arrangement of -a labeling mechanism and cooperating mechanisms substantially as in and with which the means successfully employed in practice, in a manner which will be understood from the following description.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5 indicates the operating shaft of the labeling machine; 15A indicates the position of the label-supply holder; 12 the rotating bottlecarrier or means for moving forward the article to which the label is to be affixed, and 7 the grip-devicev that temporarily clamps the center of the label to the surface of the bottle, and assists in the transfer o f the label thereto. 17 indicates the stationary shaft or fulcrum member upon which the picker carrier is mounted to have oscillative movement for swinging the pick ers 6 from the bottom of the label-supply holder'to the position where the labels are transferred to the bottle, and vice versa.

In accordance with my invention the picker-carrier comprises a bearing hub or sleeve 16 vmovably fitted upon the fulcrum shaft 17, and provided at or nearV its re spective ends with rigidly attached parallel pins or axis studs 9 that project therefrom with their axes in planes approximately at right angles to the axis of the bearing hub 16. Upon veach of these pins 9 there is mounted one of the picker-hingng heads 13, which consists of a body member having at its upper end a tubular bearing member 10 that fits upon the pin 9, and is retained thereon by a nut 8. or other means, and a transversely proj ecting arm or lug 3 provided with a head or a freely rotatable roller 4 mounted thereon; while at the lower end said body member is formed with a suitable seat for the attachment thereto of the pickerplate 6, which latter may be of usual chai acter.

The two opposite or right and left hingemembers are provided with spring attaching means and are connected by a pull spring 19 that normally tends to bring the two picker-hinge members and -pickers toward each other; but'the members and supporting sleeve 16 are provided with abutting stop-lugs 20 that limit their approach at a predetermined position.

Adjacent to the picker-carrier hub there is arranged a reciprocating-slide 21v which is supported by a suitable guide 23 and Patented Oct. 24h 191W;

" relation when the contact of the actuated by a cam 25 fixed on the operating shaft 5; the upper part of said slide being, in the present instance, furcated and arranged to guide upon the shaft, while a roller 24 mounted upon a stud fixed in, and projecting from the slide at one side thereof, engages a suitably formed groove in the cam 25 for imparting the desired reciprocative action to the slide 21 at the-proper time. The lower end of the slide, which is preferably'beveled at 26, (see Fig 5) contacts with the rolls 4 Vupon the projecting arms 3 of the picker-hinging members 13, and causes the pickers 6 to be moved laterally7 outward 1n opposite directions, or to the position indicated in Fig. The spring 19 causes the pickers to assume their primal slide 21 is relieved from the rollers 4.

. Oscillative action is imparted to the picker-carrier for swinging the pickers to and from the label holder (as per dotted lines Fig. 2) by a cam 29 fixed upon the operating shaft l5, said cam having a suitably formed groove or surface that engages a roller mounted upon an arm 30 that in turn is connected by a link 31, or suitable means, with a projecting ear or member 32 formed upon the hub'l.

B indicates the bottle or articleto be labeled. In practice the bottles are successively fed onto a continuously moving or rotating carrier 12 provided with pushing rests 14, which may be such as' heretofore employed, and the bottle moves in the direction indicated by the arrow on Fig. 2. The label-holder 15 for containing the supply of body-labels L and neck labels I, may be of well known or any approved construction. The means for supplying glue to the picker 1 faces is not herein shown, but may be of the usual kind. The grip device 7 may be arranged asY heretofore employed, attached to a swinging arm 11, and so as to move to meet the advancing bottle at the position where the labels are presented thereto, which is approximately the position shown in Fig. 2.

In the operation; the pickers, which are supplied with glue in usual manner, take a label, or labels, from the label-holder 15 and swing downward to meet the moving bottle and present the labels L and I thereto at the predetermined position where shown in Fig. 2, at which position themovement of the pickers is reversed. This swinging movement is produced by a partial rotation of the y picker-carrier hub 16 and hinging members -1 central part of the label 13 upon the axial support 17, effected and controlled by the cam 29 and its connections. At the instant the labels are presented the gripdevice 7 comes into contact with the to clamp it to the `Then the movement continue to advance surface of the bottle. of the bottlepand grip together at their uniform speed while the carrier movement, the cam 25 causes the slide 21 to move down in contact with the rollers 4 and depress the arms 3 of the picker-hinging members 13, thereby causing said members, together with the pickers 6 attached thereto, to swing laterally outward to the right and left respectively, spreading the pickers apart, as illustrated in Fig. 3; while at the same time the picker-carrier and pickers are performing their backward swinging action, so that the labels are released endwise of the label, or stripped from the picker faces by a combined peeling and endwise or lateral .sliding action of the label upon the glue-coated faces; thus utilizing the tensile strength of the paper in the label for withdrawing the glued ends of the label from their adherence to the pickers. As the hinging members 13 swing downward the slide is moved sufficiently to maintain its proper relation to the arms 3 to effect the lateral swing of the pickers without loss of motion. After the label is freed from the pickers the slide 21 is elevated and the spring 19 returns the hinging members and pickers to their normal relation before the pickers contact with the glue transfer means on their backward swing toward the label holder 15.

Spreading the pickers laterally, while they are moving with the bottle and grip device, or simultaneous with their differential movement, for removing the labels from the adhesive surfaces of the pickers, is a feature of much practical importance in the art of high speed labeling, and is the gist of my present invention.

In cases where the labels are short and it is necessary to make the distance between the pickers less than the diameter of the bottle, this means of spreading the pickers has a great advantage.

I am aware that in practising my invention, changes in the 1,202A66 :lll

provided With projecting axis-pins, a fulcrum shaft upon Which said hub oscillates, picker-supporting members having bearing heads individually hinged upon said axispins, picker-plates attached to said supporting members that move from the label-supply to a predetermined position in the path of the advancing bottle and vice versa, and

adapted to swing laterally With the supporting members on said hub, an operating shaft, means connected with said shaft for oscillating said picker-carrier hub, and means independently actuated by said operating-shaft for effecting and controlling the lateral movement of the picker-supporting members and pickers.

2. In a labeling machine, the combination of glue-applying pickers, a movable pickercarrier, picker supporting members individually hinged to said picker-carrier with the hinging axes approximately parallel to the direction in which the carrier moves, means for attaching the picker-plates to said hinging members, means for moving the picker-carrier, and means for actuating the picker-supporting members for swinging the pickers sideWise.

3. A picker mechanism for labeling machines, including amovable picker supporting carrier provided with a right and left pair of angle-formed picker-attaching hinging heads individually pivoted thereon, With their offset angle arms extending in opposite direction to each other, picker-plates attached to said hinging heads for taking labels from a label-supply and delivering them to a moving bottle or the like While advancing, means for imparting backward and forward movement to the picker-carrier; means consisting of a reciprocating element adapted to actuate said angle-arms and picker-attaching heads to effect lateral spread of the pickers, a revolving shaft and a cam mounted thereon for operating said reciprocating element to control the lateral relation of said picker-attaching-heads during a predetermined part of the picker carrier movement.

4. In a mechanism of the class specified,

in combination with a label-supply and a means adapted for supporting and advancing a bottle or the like, a pair of pickers, an oscillatable carrier to Which said pickers are hingedly attached, and adapted to take labels 'from said label supply and deliver them to the advancing bottle, means for operating said carrier, and means for impartingto said pickers opposite right and left lateral movement While said pickers are also moving in approximately the same direction as the bottle.

5. A label. picker mechanism comprising an oscillatable hub or carrier, an axial support therefor, right and left picker-hinging members pivotally mounted on the carrier with their pivot axes approximately at right angles to the plane of the carrier axis, a projection upon each of said hinging members provided with a contact head or roller, means for attaching the picker plates to said hinging mem-bers, picker plates detachably secured thereon, a retracting spring for said members, a reciprocating slide acting against said rollers, means for controlling the movement of said slide, and means for oscillating the carrier.

6. A mechanism of the character described, comprising, in combination, a movable carrier having means for supporting and advancing a bottle or the like, a label supply holder, an operating shaft, a stationary picker-supporting axle, a picker-carrier hub mounted on said axle and provided with parallel projecting axis pins fixed thereon, a right and left pair of picker-hinging members having tubular bearing sleeves mounted on said pins, and provided With laterally projecting arms and end seats to which picker plates are attached, a pull spring connecting the tWo hinge members, stops for limiting the spring action, a slide acting against said arms, a cam xed upon the operating shaft and actuating said slide, a second cam on the operating shaft, with connections therefrom for actuating the picker-carrier hub, for the purpose set forth,

FRANK O. WOODLAND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner or Patente. Washington, D. C. 

